Spartans enter new football campaign with much depth, experience and competing at a Class 3 level

Chuck Embree

Thursday

Aug 23, 2018 at 9:00 PM

Spartans coach Cody McDowell and staff has Moberly football back into the conversation as state playoff contenders, and accomplished this task coming into this 2018 fall campaign without the knowledge that the Spartans dropped from a longstanding Class 4 school down to a Class 3 status these next two football seasons.

Moberly lost its first two games of the 2017 season by a total of four points, the Spartans marched onward to winning 10 straight en route to an undefeated mark in the North Central Missouri Conference, earning a district title and reaching the Class 4 state quarterfinals to finish with a 10-3 overall record.

The Spartans out-lasted their opponents by an average score of 26-13 while absorbing nearly 300 yards of total offense (240 yds rushing) per outing.

Now with 71 names attached to its roster – the most in McDowell's four-year tenure including a senior best 17 players – the Spartans have more experience, depth and confidence to garner another district and conference championship.

“There is a sense of excitement about what this season may hold simply because we got on a hot winning streak that led to us having a very good football season and now we return a lot of players and we have greater team depth,” coach McDowell said during an Aug. 8 interview. “But you never know day-to-day how things will go when dealing with 14-to-18 year old kids. I feel our kids have done a lot of work in the offseason that will reap rewards during the regular season for them. A part of our team success will kind of come down to the anticipation of how our kids react to when we win ball games is one of the things on my mind, knowing that it will be important for them not to be satisfied and to keep pushing for something better.”

Moberly's tasks will lead them through unchartered territory of Class 3 that the school has not seen for more than a couple of decades as they set their sights to compete in the state playoffs for the second year in a row .

“A program can have one of these flash-in-the-pan type of years of which you are pretty good every once in a while, or you can be consistently good to set that kind of program mentality to where kids coming up and return to the football program want to be good every year. That's the challenge our coaching staff has set with our group a year ago and I'm hoping that's the case for this year too and we'll soon see,” McDowell added. “When you see a group of seniors like we had last year that took this football program to the next level and handle success, I'm excited to learn whether this year's group follows up - and I believe they will – and see where it takes us.”

The Missouri State High School Activities Association on Aug. 17 released its new 2-year cycle of district assignments, and by virtue of Moberly's decrease in student enrollment figures the Spartans football program was dropped a level to being a Class 3 status.

Moberly is assigned to Class 3 District 4 for these next two football seasons. They will complete with the likes of Centralia, Christian of O'Fallon, Fulton, Mexico, Southern Boone of Ashland, Winfield and Wright City for a district title and berth into the state playoffs.

“It's obviously different simply because we have been in that district (Class 4 District 7) for quite a while now, facing the same teams. But this is kind of a welcome change. We obviously have been at the bottom of Class 4 (student enrollment) for a while and now we are about the top of Class 3. Right now I don't really know if this is good or bad, but the thing I'm excited about is that we have the chance to play some different schools,” McDowell said Wednesday night. “Fulton and Mexico is part of this district so outside of them we really don't know. We have seen Centralia a bit in the summer while playing 7-on-7 and we got to see them play a little bit at the football jamboree (Aug. 17 at Blair Oaks H.S.) against someone else, and we have played some 7-on-7 with Southern Boone before, but we are not real familiar with most of them in this district.”

On Wednesday evening, McDowell released his projected starters for Friday night.

DEFENSE: Senior Spartans also comprise the entire D-line with Nickerson as nose guard, Webb as tackle, Richards and Melvin Edwards (6'0, 220) at the ends. Linebackers are Graves and sophomore Jacksyn Miller (6'1, 185). Junior Jared Herron (6'1, 175) is at safety, Smothers handles the bandit position and Stoneking is at free safety. Cornerbacks are Lowry and senior Kurtis Walter (5'9, 170).

SPECIAL TEAM: Stoneking will handle punting duties, sophomore Ethan Vandall (5'9, 170) is kicker, and the long snapper is Long. Walter and senior Toshaun Davis (5'9, 130) are the kick returners.

The Spartans will be challenged as they navigate through a schedule that kicks off with Friday's journey to Sedalia where they take on Smith-Cotton, a school listed two notches above the Spartans at the Class 5 level due to student enrollment numbers.

Smith-Cotton edged Moberly 7-6 a year ago, reeled off nine straight wins before falling in the first round of its district play to Belton in 61-50 shootout loss to finish with a record of 9-1.

The next two Moberly playing dates are also against non-conference foes. Osage High School will arrive here to Dr. Larry K .Noel Spartan Stadium on Aug. 31, and the regiment makes a two and one-half hour trip west Sept. 7 to compete at Higginsville.

Homecoming celebration is against Marshall on Sept. 28, and Senior Night is Oct. 12 against Kirksville.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.